December 21, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
This recipe is a great alternative to a traditional lasagna, using bacon and braised winter greens. Feel free to substitute the Swiss chard with kale, or even spinach in the summer. You could also go meatless and skip the bacon, but what would be the fun in that? Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do.
White and Green Lasagna with Bacon
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 6-8 fresh lasagna sheets (I prefer to make my own whole wheat lasagna for this)
- 2 cups ricotta Cheese
- 14-16 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, sliced thinly
- 12 pieces thick center cut bacon (about one package)
- 1 onion
- 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
- 1 large bunch Swiss chard, roughly chopped
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook bacon in a large skillet until still chewy. Put bacon on plate or cutting board reserving the fat in the pan.
- Add onion and mushrooms to the bacon fat and sauté until golden. At this point add the Swiss chard and cook for another minute or two until it begins to wilt. Add the tomatoes and broth, salt to taste, cover and simmer stirring every few minutes for 10-15 minutes, until chard is tender.
- While the chard is cooking, dice the bacon. Once the chard is done add it to the mixture and remove from heat. Drain off some of the remaining liquid into a separate cup.
- Oil you baking pan. Line the bottom with 1/3 of the Swiss chard mix. Top with 1/4 of the ricotta and mozzarella slices. Cover with lasagna sheets. Repeat twice more. Now you should have lasagna sheets on the top and 1/4 of the ricotta and mozzarella left. drizzle the reserved braising liquid over the lasagna sheet and crumble on the ricotta and add the slices of mozzarella trying to cover most of the pasta.
- Bake for 45min – 1 hour, until cheese on the top has melted and turned a golden brown and most of the liquid has cooked off. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Posted in Dinner, Pasta | Tagged Bacon, lasagna, pasta, swiss chard | Leave a Comment »
November 10, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
On a cold fall day sometimes there is nothing better than a nice hot soup. This soup is thick and rich, and with the addition of jalapenos it also packs a bit of a kick to warm you up. This soup is hearty enough to be eaten on its own, with a slice of bread and a side salad, or serve it in smaller portions as a starter. For extra kick leave the seeds in, if you prefer a milder soup seed the jalapenos and/or just use one.
Pumpkin Soup with a Kick
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 jalapenos, diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage, diced
- 1 1/2 lbs winter squash (like a pie pumpkin), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch peiced
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup manchego cheese
Directions:
- Melt butter and sauté onions until soft and golden.
- Add tomato, onion, garlic, jalapeno, thyme, sage and salt. Saute another minute or two, until fragrant.
- Add squash, stock and wine. Simmer for about 40 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Transfer to a blender, or use an immersion blender, to puree until smooth.
- Return to pot, add milk and bring back to a simmer. Add cheese, when it melts serve immediately.
Posted in Soup, Vegetarian | Tagged fall, pumpkin, soup | Leave a Comment »
June 19, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
I’ve been told that this dish is even better than my eggs benedict, which I think is my best breakfast dish! You can substitute another leafy green vegetable for spinach in this recipe, sometimes I substitute kale. Also sometimes I add a second egg for a heartier meal. This dish can also be easily scaled down to two servings, perfect for a romantic weekend brunch!
Baked Eggs with Bacon and Spinach
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 English Muffins, toasted
- 6 ounces spinach
- 8 slices smoked bacon
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 °F
- Cook bacon in a pan until crispy. Remove from pan and reserve drippings.
- Add spinach to pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute for 1 minute.
- Brush ramekins with reserved bacon grease. Add English muffins to each ramekin split side up. Divide spinach between the four ramekins. Crumble bacon evenly between each ramekin. Crack eggs into each ramekin, being careful not to break the yolks. Add one tablespoon of cream to each.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, until whites are set but yolks are still runny. Serve immediately.
Posted in Breakfast | Tagged Bacon, baked, Breakfast, eggs, Spinach | 1 Comment »
June 15, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
I love this honey whole wheat bread, it is defiantly my go to bread when I want to make a quick loaf. It’s healthy, slightly sweet from the honey and holds up well to a large sandwich. My favorite thing about this bread though is that it is only 6 ingredients, ingredients I usually have around the house, making it simple and easy to whip up a loaf.
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
Makes 1 Loaf
Ingredients:
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/4 cups Water
- 3 Tablespoons Honey
- 3 cups Whole Wheat Bread Flour (if you can’t find whole wheat bread flour use 1 1/2 cups white bread flour and 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour)
- 1 teaspoon yeast
Directions:
- Add ingredients in order to bread machine.
- Set to Whole Wheat setting.
Posted in Bread, Bread Machine | Tagged bread, bread machine, honey, whole wheat | Leave a Comment »
June 14, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
This is a great dish that you can prep ahead (up to 24 hours in advance) and then assemble and grill in less than 30 min. It is a bit different from most satays where the sauce is on the side, I prefer to marinate the chicken in the sauce which renders it both flavorful and juicy. I serve this accompanied by a salad for a light dinner or as an appetizer for a larger group.
Peanut Chicken Satay
Makes about 10 large skewers (or 15 smaller ones)
Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Lemon or Lime Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Curry Powder
- 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (can use breast instead if desired), cut in chunks.
Directions:
- Combine all but the chicken in a mixing bowl and throughly mix. Place the chicken in the bowl to marinate. (Or even better I put everything in a ziplock bag.) Place in fridge and marinate for 2 to 24 hours.
- Preheat grill to high heat.
- Skewer the chicken, and then gill until done.
Posted in Appetizers, Chicken, Dinner, Poultry | Tagged chicken, easy, grilled, peanut, satay, Thai | Leave a Comment »
June 9, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
These granola bars make a great quick snack on the run or a fast and tasty breakfast. Out of all the recipes I have found for granola bars this one has the least amount of sugar (and whole wants mounds of sugar for breakfast!?!) They are very easy and you can substitute different dried fruits or nuts, and even add mini chocolate chips, to suit your taste.
Fruit and Nut Granola Bars
Makes 20 bars
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup almond silvers
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9×13 pan or cookie sheet.
- Combine oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey and brown sugar. Then stir in almonds, raisins and cranberries.
- Press mixture into pan using wax paper, you finger tips and palms to
- Bake 25-30 min, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 min then cut into squares and remove from pan to continue cooling. (Note, you wan to cut while still warm as the granola hardens while it cools.)
Posted in Breakfast, Snack, Vegetarian | Tagged Breakfast, easy, fruit, granola, granola bar, healthy, nuts, quick, snack | Leave a Comment »
May 24, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
Nothing beats a juicy burger, except a juicy burger on a fresh bun. This bun is not only delicious, it holds up to an extremely succulent burger, sopping up the juices and not falling apart. These buns aren’t just limited to burgers, they are great in the morning with a fried egg, toasted with jam or just toasted with plain butter.
Oh, and in case you want to know what’s on the burger below; it’s a homemade patty, sautéed mushroom and onions in butter and olive oil, and a sauce made from plain yogurt, diced jalapeno and shallots mixed with chipotle sauce.
French Brioche Buns
Makes 6 Buns
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 3 eggs
- 2 egg yolks (reserve whites, but don’t add to the dough)
- 3/4 cups butter, softened
- 3 1/3 cups (432 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
Directions
- Combine ingredients, in order, in a bread machine. Set to the dough setting.
- Preheat oven to 350°F, spray a cookie sheet with oil
- Place dough on a lightly floured surface, and knead (use flour so it doesn’t stick to your hands or the board.)
- Divide dough into 6 parts and roll each into a ball, use more flour if necessary so that dough is not sticky. Flatten the dough and place on baking sheet. Brush with egg whites.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Posted in Bread, Bread Machine, Vegetarian | Tagged bread, bread machine, brioche, bun, french | Leave a Comment »
May 24, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
I have to admit it, I am obsessed with this salad. It combines everything I love about spring; strawberries, avocado and crisp lettuce! It’s super easy to throw together and people always go back for seconds. I love making this with dinner, then taking the leftovers in for lunch (either as a side or with a roll and some grilled chicken.)
The photo below is the salad without the dressing, I usually serve the dressing separately so that people can decide how much they want. Also serving the dressing separately makes it easier to serve this the next day as leftovers since salad that sits with dressing is not as appealing.
Spring Salad with Avocado, Strawberries and Almonds
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Red Leaf Lettuce or Spinach
- 1 Ripe avocado
- 1 pint Strawberries, sliced
- 1/2 cup almond slivers or slices
Directions:
- Add Lettuce to serving bowl
- Add avocado, strawberries and the almonds
Shallot and Mustard Dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
- 1 Tablespoon finely diced shallot
Posted in Salad, Side Dishes, Vegetarian | Tagged delicious, easy, healthy, quick, salad | 1 Comment »
May 13, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
This is such an easy, delicious dinner that only takes an hour from prep to finish. I don’t have a photo yet (took a few but none of them came out well) but wanted to share the recipe while there are still some hearty winter greens in season!
Chicken, Dark Greens and Potatoes One Dish Dinner
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Legs
- 4 cups (approx.) Braising Mix, you can use any dark green leafy veggies or combination instead (such as kale or chard)
- 5-6 Fingerling Potatoes, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
- 2 Shallots, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- Salt and Pepper
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 450F.
- Toss Braising mix, potatoes, shallots, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small roasting pan or baking dish.
- Rub chicken with paprika, salt and pepper and place on top of greens, skin side up.
- Wrap dish with foil, bake 20 min. Remove foil and bake an addition 30, then serve.
Posted in Chicken, Dinner, Poultry | Tagged chicken dinner, dark greens, easy, healthy, one pot, simple | Leave a Comment »
April 15, 2011 by AndreaInSeattle
Fruit, sugar, chocolate…. what couldn’t be good about this combination?? Honestly this was my favorite candy growing up, and one of my father’s favorite candies as well. Some of my earliest memories are of stopping at a candy store on our way to my grandparents and picking up a small bag of this delicious treat, we both prefered dark chocolate, and the bag would always be finished by the time we arrived.
This treat is deliciously easy to make, and only requires a bit of patience. Also, another perk, if there is leftover chocolate I love making an impromptu fondue with fruit such as strawberries, apples or pears.
Chocolate Covered Candied Orange and Lemon Peels
Ingredients
- 2 oranges and 2 lemons (or all oranges or lemons, which ever you prefer)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 large bars or 4 smalls bars dark or milk chocolate
Directions
- Cut fruit in quarters, then peel fruit making sure to keep peel in tact. Slice peel into prox 1/8th inch wide strips.
- In a saucepan bring water and sugar to a simmer. Add peels and cook until saturated, about 30 – 45 minutes, stirring several times.
- Lay candied peels on a baking sheet covered with wax paper and let dry. This should take 3-6 hours, if you want to dry them overnight or are in a humid environment then you can put them in the fridge.
- In a double boiler (ie, a bowl over a saucepan) melt the chocolate. Take the candied peels, dip them in the chocolate with a fork, and then place on another baking sheet covered with wax paper.
- Let chocolate harden (either by leaving out or by placing the pan in the fridge.)
Posted in Dessert, Snack | Tagged candied, chocolate, dessert, orange peel, snack, sweet | 1 Comment »
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